Learning Oysters.

   Over the summer I tried oysters for the first time while working on a food shoot. My boss was throwing them back one after the other and he asked the rest of the assistants and interns if they wanted to try some but all of them declined. When he asked me I was a bit nervous but I've always wondered what the hype was about so I just went for it! I immediately text Q to tell him about it and recommend that we try some at home ASAP! 

    Of course Q was immediately on board and the very next weekend we hit up Ippolito's in Philly to get the best goods. We didn't know what to pick out so we just let the guys at the counter make some recommendations. The only thing we left without was a shucking knife and that made things seriously difficult(and messy)! 

    I think we went through 3 knives, a kitchen towel, and a hot pad to get these guys open but eventually Q got the hang of it and we devoured these little gems with just a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of capers. We are not experts by any means but we have figured out we prefer the sweeter West Coast oysters(not that we have a biased opinion though?!?! ;D).

 
  I totally enjoyed the oysters, really, but I also loved another opportunity to try something new with Q. I absolutely love that we share a passion for great food and we both have an adventurous side that keeps things fun and interesting♥ So cheers to new things blog family!

Photo Catch-Up: Liberty Bell

{Calv & I at the Liberty Bell}

Photo Catch-Up: Independence Hall

{Calv & I at Independence Hall}

Calvins first stop

When Calvin and I arrived in Philadelphia earlier this week we both decided a stop for cheesesteaks before heading home was definitely in order. We decided to take Calvin into Pats which was featured on Food Wars.

The steaks were delicious as usual and we had fun watching Calvin start to absorb the idea that he was finally "a long way from home"(his words) as we drove around Philadelphia a bit. Pretty good way to kick off his adventure.

The Eagle and Visitors.

Well we had our first visitors!!!! Quincy's parents Terry and Gail came out to the east coast a few weeks ago and we had a great time in both Philadelphia and Cape May. We met them in Philly first for dinner at Spasso(delish!) and it also happened to be perfect timing for a tour on the Eagle.The Eagle is an active Coast Guard cutter that allows tours while its in port and its so so so different from Quincy's cutter so we had a good time checking it out.

We also had a great time once we came home to Cape May and checked out lots of local sites too. We took them to see the sunken concrete ship, the lighthouse, the WWII bunker(thank you to miss Macey for the info!), an alpaca farm & yarn store, and a handful of tasty restaurants too. It was fun playing host in our new town and we really enjoyed our west-coast visitors.

Cheesesteaks.

Having lived in Penn Valley his whole life Quincy had never experienced a "real" Philly Cheesesteak. On the other hand, I had been to PA to visit my dad's family and still had a vivid memory of how good the cheesesteaks were so I was always talking them up. So now that we were finally in Philly together we decided no matter what time we left the airport we were going to find a place to get Quincy his first cheesesteak! We left the airport hotel first thing that morning, got a rental car, and headed downtown. We parked the car and just started walking aimlessly. We must have looked totally lost because at a corner a random man asked if he could help us find something! We told him we were on a hunt for a good cheesesteak and he recommended a few places but the Honey Restaurant was the closest so we headed over.

We got our steaks to go and headed back to the car for a picnic. As soon as Quincy opened his up his face looked like:

And I think he was hooked after that first bite. There is no going back to the wannabe sandwiches of the Northridge or the Steak Shop in the mall!

He decided every time we go to Philly we are going to try a new place so we can find the BEST one. Since that trip we have tried 3 other shops and its funny because the Honey Restaurant is still our favorite so far!

I think it was a successful foodie adventure and I cant think of a better way to start our new life!